K-State Considers $150 Million Research Facility

Kansas State University says it has received $141.5 million in gift pledges in the fiscal year that just ended.

Kansas State University is considering a $150 million research facility that would focus on food and complement the planned National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility adjacent to the university.

K-State President Kirk Schulz has requested $5 million in state funding for next year to begin planning the Food Systems Research and Education Facility.

The proposal was discussed briefly Tuesday at a Kansas Board of Regents budget session. Schulz says the project might be years down the road, but he wants to get legislators and other state officials familiar with the request.

The 200,000-square-foot facility would focus on the food supply, including developing higher-yielding crops and more intensive cropping systems, along with improved processing and distribution.